Hotties @ the call centre

Thu, May 22 01:15 AM

When an exhausted Delhi lulls itself into sleep, 20-year-old Ria pulls up her best pair of Levi's, glances at her Swatch and, leaving behind a wisp of Chanel, tiptoes past her sleeping roomies. Not out to hit the latest nightclub, Ria is actually on her way to attend endless calls in a call center in Noida.

More and more young call center employees like Ria are dressing up to the hilt. These tribes of young night warriors not only want to be heard on the phone but also to be seen as sexy, smart and zingy people.

What better way to acquire that persona than to dress up in oomph? Dress hot No surprise then that the hems are rising and more and more female call center employees are sporting pricier labels. These girls may be homely at home but at work they take on the glam queen image.

"I'm blessed with a killer figure and a zingy attitude so why not flaunt it at work," says Ria. "Just because I'm supposed to talk to strangers on the phone doesn't mean I have to come to work like a granny," she adds.

Though many call centers stick to an unwritten dress code a few are getting more relaxed when it comes to clothing regulations. Organisations like HCL Technologies still instruct their employees to dress up in formal on weekdays.

However, weekends with colourful casuals are what they look forward to. "Dressing in casuals should not be confused with unprofessionalism on the phone," says Anshu Batra, a BPO team leader with HCL Technologies.

"I don't care how my team dresses up as long as it is able to deliver results," he says. But this is generation X and for them it's uncool to wait the whole week for a 'Thank-God-it's-Friday' sigh.

These yuppies know how to twist their way through regulations, however strict they may be. They find ways to raise temperatures in their offices.

"Can't look equally sexy and elegant in sari on week days? Says who? Innovation is the key word, you can still make hearts skip beats in a well fitted sari," says BPO worker Reetika Malhotra. Going global Those working in international call centers are a bit more in sync with the upper-end style.

They are truly going global when it comes to hot gear. "Ours is an international BPO so we can dress up the way we want.

We call ourselves Black Seduction, because three of us work at night. Thongs and deep cut blouses are our forte, it keeps the mood peppy all night," says Sonia (name changed) with PCL International who wouldn't disclose the name of her other two mysterious members either.

And definitely, these femme fatales are keeping the men in a good mood too. "A smartly dressed colleague is like a soothing droplet on a dry summer day.

It keeps the work adrenaline pumping and the other adrenaline too.

" says Iqbal of Vodafone Essar.

Phew.

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